High-speed, on-the-fly printers have employed type carriers of the kind which move across the document along the line to be printed while print hammers are selectively actuated. These devices generally contain type slugs which are clamped or otherwise mounted on a flexible carrier such as a timing belt. Alternatively, a train of type can be guided along a specially-constructed track and a supporting carrier is not required. The construction of these devices is complex and expensive because the type must move along the line to be printed at a relatively high speed and the exact location of each type element along the line is critical to avoid misregistration of the resultant printing. It is particularly important that the type carrier not buckle or stretch and that the type slugs remain firmly attached to the carrier as the hammers impact the type.